214044_The_Essa ... rd_Of_Montaigne_Vol_II.pdf - OUDL Home

560 MONTAIGNE'S ESSAYES
It is against nature's course that he hath made the
most excellent production that may be: for the ordinary
birth of things is imperfect: they are augmented
by encrease and corroborated by growth. He hath reduced
the infancy of poesie and divers other sciences to
be ripe, perfect, and compleate. By which reason he
may be termed the first and last of poets, following the
noble testimony antiquity hath left us of him, that
having had no man before him whom he might imitate,
so hath liee had none after him could imitate him. His
wordes (according to Aristotle) are the onely words
that have motion and action : they are the onely substantiall
wordes. Alexander the Great, having lighted
upon a rich casket amongst Darius his spoils, appoynted
the same to be safely kept for himselfe to keepe his
Homer in, saying he was the best adviser and faithfullest
counselor he had in his military affaires. By
the same reason said Cliomenes, sonne to Anaxan-